Construction underway at Morayfield Health Hub

Construction on the multi-million dollar Morayfield Health Hub is well underway, ahead of the opening of its first stage in October this year.

The first stage will see the commencement of a new GP clinic, fully equipped urgent care centre, and allied health services, while the entire hub is expected
to be fully operational by early 2018.

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland and Health Developments Corporation Director Dr Evan Jones on Wednesday, July 26 inspected progress
on the 14,000m2 site which, once complete, will co-locate and integrate a range of important health services including primary and specialist services,
allied and oral health services, acute care and day procedures, preventative health and rehabilitation services and diagnostic and medical support
in an innovative 'patient-centred' model.

“It’s exciting to see the Morayfield Health Hub coming together and to know that local residents in the Morayfield area will soon have additional access
to both primary and specialised health services closer to home,” Mayor Sutherland said.

“The health hub will play a vital role in helping meet current and future healthcare needs in a region where the population has grown by more than
12.5 percent in just the past five years, and will be home to more than 618,000 people in the next two decades - more than a third of which will
be aged 50 and over.

“With nearby developments like North Harbour well underway and housing for more than 70,000 people in the pipeline at Caboolture West, facilities like
this are vital to supporting Moreton Bay’s growth and bridging the geographic gap so patients no longer have to travel to Brisbane to access quality
and affordable healthcare.

“Dr Jones’ commitment complements council’s ongoing investment in major infrastructure projects and innovative, future-proofing policies, including
the new Incentivising Infill Development Policy which aims to stimulate urban renewal and development in existing activity centres, like the Caboolture
CBD, to bolster business confidence and provide affordable and diverse housing for our growing and changing community.

“The Morayfield Health Hub will also help to deliver the jobs of the future right here in Morayfield, with more than 300 ongoing jobs expected in healthcare
and administration once fully operational, including up to 90 general practitioners. That’s in addition to the 100 building and labouring jobs
currently supported on site.”

Health Development Corporations Director Dr Evan Jones said the hub was designed around the philosophy of “patient centeredness”, and meeting the needs
of the local community after realising there was a large shortage of appropriate health facilities in the Morayfield and Caboolture area that could
keep up with the growing population of the local area.

“The Health Developments Team spent a large amount of time on demographic research around the health needs of the Moreton Bay area,” Dr Jones said.

“The research showed that the much of the current care patients were receiving was disjointed, slow, costly, and less effective than it could be leading
to some patients failing to receive the care they required in a timely fashion.

“What was needed was a place that delivered a seamless patient-centred experience by partnering with multiple service providers to achieve better health
outcomes for patients through the collaboration and integration of services.

“The team wanted to deliver effective and efficient care to patients by using shared information systems and to implement systems to ensure timely,
appropriate and quality care for patients. From this, the health hub was developed.

“By incorporating a fully functional urgent care clinic, general practice, and a large range of allied health services as a predominately bulk billed
service, the health hub is aiming to lead the way, and help set the future standard, for what true patient centred care looks like in Australia.”

The first stage of the Health Hub will be open in October, with the commencement of the GP clinic and urgent care clinic.

The entire hub is expected to be fully operational by February/March 2018.